It Takes a Village to Raise a Child
SOS Children’s Villages are not only about places, buildings and services. They are foremost about people and their needs, hopes, capacities and relationships with one another.
SOS Children’s Villages has over 571 SOS Villages worldwide, where nearly 84,500 vulnerable children grow up in a loving home. Our SOS Villages consist of houses and playgrounds, in addition to support services that provide education and quality healthcare, so that every child can have a normal childhood and reach their full potential.
What is an SOS Children’s Village?
Safe Communities
We have over 571 SOS Villages around the world. Each of these Villages has family homes, where children live with their SOS Families. Each Village gives children all the support they need to thrive and grow in a safe and supportive community. SOS Villages often include community centers, medical facilities, schools, playgrounds and vocational training centers—all are open to the local community.
Loving Family
Central to the SOS Village is the SOS Family. When children cannot stay with their family or have no family, SOS gives them a safe home, together with their biological siblings, where they can grow up in one of our SOS Families. Each family is headed by a trained caregiver, an SOS Mother or Parent, who raises each child with the individual care and attention they need. Each family typically has 6-10 children, who live together as siblings.
Stable Homes
At the heart of each of our SOS Villages are the homes where SOS families live. A typical SOS Children’s Village has 10 to 15 residential homes, each housing an SOS Family. Each house has a combined living/dining room as the center of family life, in addition to all the rooms that you would find in a typical home. The homes are central to creating a stable, secure and supportive place for children to live in a community environment with families and neighbors.
SOS Families For Life
When young people are ready to leave the SOS Village, we work to prepare them for independent living by offering vocational training and support. And although they grow up and become self-sufficient, they will always have their SOS Family. Many young adults often return to the Villages where they grew up to visit their families.
Read some SOS stories.
Learn more about
SOS Children’s Villages in the United States
Contact
1-888-SOS-4KID
1620 I Street NW, Ste. 900
Washington, DC 20006
Chief Executive Officer’s Message
Lynn has extensive experience in fund-raising, nonprofit leadership and advocating for the world’s most vulnerable children and families. Since joining SOS Children’s Villages in 2012, she has built a solid fundraising team, overhauled the sponsorship program and streamlined integrated marketing initiatives. Under her leadership, SOS Children’s Villages’ revenue through US-based funding has nearly doubled. Previously, she was Vice President of Development for The Wilderness Society and Reading is Fundamental in Washington, D.C. She was also Executive Director for the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation and Memorial Foundation, Executive Director of the American Heart Association of South Florida as well as Vice President for United Way of Broward County, Florida. Lynn is a certified fundraising executive (CFRE) and was the 2011 President of the Washington, D.C. Metro Area Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).
Lynn also uses social media to share news about SOS Children’s Villages and its work around the world. Find her on Twitter at @LynnCroneberger.
For additional information, go to the SOS Children’s Villages FAQ page.
SOS Children’s Villages – a non-religious, non-political organization – provides orphaned and abandoned children permanent homes and preparation for independent lives regardless of race, nationality or creed. SOS Children’s Villages – USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
The Grand Lodge of Washington 